Preformed kitchen cabinet tops are fastened to the cabinets with ___

• A. Cleats and screws
• B. Nails and glue
• C. Brackets and bolts
• D. Hinge screws

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how a factory-made cabinet top is anchored to base cabinets. For preformed tops, a wooden cleat is fastened to the top edge of the cabinet to create a solid mounting surface. The countertop is then screwed to these cleats, which hides the fasteners and distributes the load along the cabinet while allowing a little wood movement with humidity. Nails and glue alone wouldn’t provide the necessary shear strength for a frequently used surface. Brackets and bolts aren’t the standard method for typical cabinet tops, and hinge screws are for mounting doors, not securing the countertop.